Unforgiven
by KatieKay90
Summary: ModDay. Christine is the estranged wife of Technology billionaire Erik. She is kidnapped and he will do all in his power to get her back unharmed. Can they find love again? Amazing Beta talents of Terpsichore314.
1. Chapter 1

**Obligatory disclaimer - I do not own any of the Characters or plotlines of Phantom of the Opera, they of course are from the genius of Leroux. **

A/N Welcome, and thank you for giving my story a chance. A very heartfelt thank you to Terpsichore314, who has such an amazing gift with her insight to the complexities of storytelling. She has taken on quite a challenge with me I'm afraid.

Author – KatieKay90

Beta – Terpsichore314

Title – Unforgiven

**Chapter 1 - Kidnapped**

_So this is how it all ends_, Christine thought sadly to herself as she lay motionless on the cold hard stone floor. Her breathing was becoming more and more labored as she fought to stay conscious for just a few more brief moments. A strange floating sensation overcame her as she wondered if anyone would truly miss her presence on this earth. She had no family to speak of, so there would be no mother or father, sister or brother to mourn her sudden passing. The few people whom she had once counted as her friends had long ago shunned her in their desperate need to put a symbolic distance between themselves and her adulterous ways. Perhaps sweet, kindhearted Raoul, her partner at the art gallery, would shed a tear over her death.

Shifting to her left, she tried to alleviate some of the stiffness of her tightly bound hands. Gasping at the excruciating pain, she felt a sharp stabbing shoot through her shoulder where one of her kidnappers had viciously sliced a deep cut into her three days ago. Darkness threatened as the hot rapid throbbing became almost unbearable. Feeling the familiar trickle of blood run down her arm, she knew that she didn't have much time left. Through the dirt-encrusted window of the tiny deserted cabin, she could see that the sun was beginning its slow unerring descent, foreshadowing the coming of the frigidly cold January night. She knew that if she were not found within the next few hours, her life would end sometime during the cold darkened night.

Inhaling a deep breath, she was surprised that she was not feeling the usual panic or fear that was so often portrayed in the movies. What she was feeling was a sort of calming peace. A soft welcoming peace that promised an approaching ending to all of the pain that this life had conveyed. All of the hurt and lies would soon just be a long lost memory. She would soon be free of the man who had destroyed her life. As she closed her eyes, she once again saw the face of the man who still haunted her dreams. Her last conscious thought was of her estranged husband, the man whom she had come to despise with her whole being. The man whom she still unwillingly loved with every beat of her broken heart. A serene smile graced her bruised and battered face as she at last began to fade from this painful existence. She could hear a strange distant whirling sound as the darkness began to encroach ever so welcomingly. "Erik." The name escaped her cracked lips in a longing, pain-filled whisper. She hoped he would now, at long last, find some sort of closure at her death. Welcoming the sweet embrace of her death, Christine was aware of a bright light shining through the tiny cabin window. With her very last breath, she smiled as she felt the warmth of a heavenly light embracing her.

Five days earlier

"Good morning Sarah," Nadir greeted his assistant as he made his way into his large corner office in the midtown high rent district office tower in Manhattan, the home of Mansart Technologies.

Sarah rose from her chair and followed her boss into his office with a large stack of mail. "You have an appointment with the CFO in twenty minutes," she informed him in an efficient tone as she handed him the personal mail for Mr. Mansart.

"Has Erik arrived yet?" he asked as he hung up his gray wool overcoat.

"Yes, Renee said he has been in about an hour," Sarah responded, handing him a cup of his preferred black Persian coffee.

"Thanks," Nadir offered absently as he picked up Erik's private correspondence. "Buzz me five minutes before my meeting," he requested as he began to sort through the large stack of mail.

"Of course," Sarah said as she let herself out to attend to the mounting workload on her own desk.

Nadir frowned as he came to a strangely labeled nine by eleven envelope with the word 'urgent' stamped across its front. With no return address to identify the sender, he assumed it was yet another broker's clumsy attempt to contact Erik about the next big stock tip of the year. Lifting his letter opener, he proceeded to slit the top of the strange envelope. "Jesus!" Nadir cried out in horror as a picture of Erik's wife Christine fell out along with a note made up of cut out letters from a magazine.

WE HAVE YOUR WIFE. IF YOU ATTEMPT TO CONTACT THE POLICE OR FBI, WE WILL KILL HER. IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW OUR INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER WE WILL KILL HER. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIND US. ANY ATTEMPTS AGAINST US WILL RESULT IN THE INSTANT KILLING OF YOUR WIFE. YOU WILL RECEIVE FURTHER INSTRUCTION IN THE NEXT TEN HOURS

With a shaking hand, Nadir picked up the picture. To his horror, he saw that Christine had already been severely beaten by her captors. "Fucking hell!" he cursed as he inspected the picture more closely. Christine was holding up a copy of yesterday's edition of the New York Post, her lips were cracked with dried blood, denoting that the beating had taken place several hours earlier. Reaching for his phone, he alerted Renee of his urgent need to see Erik. "Renee, tell Erik I need to see him in five minutes," he instructed curtly. "I don't give a fuck who he has in his office, I need to see him in five minutes!" Nadir snapped in an uncharacteristic rage as he slammed down the phone. "Shit, who do I call?" he asked himself as he prepared to tell his boss the worst possible news he would ever be forced to deliver. Snatching up his phone a second time, he dialed John Corbin, the head of Mansart Technologies security department. "John, I need to see you in Erik's office in," Nadir paused as he tried to estimate the time he needed alone with Erik. "In fifteen minutes. Be there in fifteen minutes," he repeated as he hung up the phone. Carefully picking up the photograph, note and envelope, he headed out of his office, knowing that the next few minutes would prove to be the most difficult of his life.

"Excuse me Mr. Mansart," Renee interrupted her half-masked boss. "Mr. Khan has an urgent matter that needs your immediate attention."

Erik frowned at the unscheduled interruption. "Renee, tell Nadir that I can see him in half an hour," Erik said in a tone that would brook no further arguments.

"Yes sir," Renee said as she backed out of her formidable employer's office.

Nadir turned the corner just as Renee closed Erik's door softly. "Is he ready for me?" The rush of words had Renee staring at him strangely.

"No, he instructed me to tell you that he will be with you in half an hour," she replied with a slight frown marring her smooth forehead.

Nadir straightened his shoulders and made a direct line for Erik's door.

"No, Mr. Khan, he said that you were to wait," Renee cried urgently after his retreating form.

Erik looked up from the contract that he held in his hand to scowl fiercely at his vice president and friend. "Nadir, I am in a meeting," he said through clenched teeth. Roger Reyes, the man who had been trying to get an appointment with the head of Mansart Technologies for the past year politely hid his annoyance at the interruption,

"I'm sorry Erik, but this can't wait," Nadir said so anxiously that Erik felt a chill spread over him, as Nadir was not one to betray emotion.

"I apologize Roger; can we reschedule this for another time?" Erik suggested to the distinguished-looking gentleman seated across him at his hand-carved mahogany desk.

"Certainly, I'll have my girl call Renee," Roger responded as he shut his briefcase.

Once the obligatory handshakes were completed and Roger was escorted out, Erik turned his attention to his agitated friend. "Okay, Nadir, what is so all-important that you needed to interrupt my meeting?" Erik inquired evenly as he crossed to the glass bar to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Nadir walked over towards his boss. "This came in this morning's post," he said stiltedly.

Erik's blood froze within his veins as he saw the image of his wife's beaten face. An all-encompassing rage began to fill him at the thought of anyone causing harm to his once-precious Christine.

Nadir watched nervously as Erik took in the devastating evidence before him.

Erik read the note, feeling as if his brain were separating from his body, and he were a spectator watching the events unfold.

"John is on his way up," Nadir said as he tried to read his boss's reaction.

A viselike grip overtook Erik's cold heart as though someone had simply reached within his chest and begun to exert an unbearable amount of pressure. His hands began to shake as he handed the telling photo back to his friend. His body began to fill with a cold insurmountable fear, as he pictured Christine at the mercy of her attackers. Taking in several deep breaths of air, Erik began to tremble with his pent-up emotion. Lifting his fists into the air, he emitted an animalistic roar of immense rage, bringing his fists down with such violent force that the glass-topped bar shattered into thousands of sharp tiny shards.

Renee came rushing into the room, followed closely by John, at the sound of the shattering glass. The sight that met her eyes would be forever engraved upon her memory, for Erik was leaning heavily against the wall with blood dripping from his tightly clenched fists. "Mr. Mansart," she cried out in alarm.

Nadir turned towards Renee and shouted out several orders. "Get some clean towels and the first aid kit. Cancel all appointments for myself and Erik for the rest of the week. If you get any strange phone calls or deliveries, I want to be notified at once."

Renee rushed into Erik's private bathroom to retrieve the needed items. Whatever was happening had really taken a toll on her normally unflappable boss. She had a distinct impression that the news that had Erik so upset must involve his cheating wife. Shaking her head, she walked back into the office and handed off the requested items. "Can I do anything else?" she asked Nadir, who appeared to have taken charge of the situation.

"No, please just see that we are not disturbed," he said without looking up from Erik's injured hands. "Renee," he called as she opened the door, "Not a word to anyone. Is that clear?" he demanded forcefully.

"Yes sir," Renee responded in a voice of alarm, as she had never before seen either Erik or Nadir act with other than a cool and collected demeanor.

Nadir finally looked up and saw John. John raised his brows inquiringly at Nadir.

"John, Erik's wife has been kidnapped," Nadir said without preamble. "The note and picture we received are on the floor over there," Nadir said as he indicated the position of the evidence upon the shattered glass shards.

John, a former FBI agent, reached down and carefully picked up the kidnapper's note. He read the note and looked up. "Is this the only contact so far?" he inquired.

"Yes, the envelope arrived with this morning's mail," Nadir stated, wrapping a long strip of gauze around Erik's wounded hand. Erik seemed to be in a kind of state of shock, subdued after his outburst.

"The picture looks like it must have been taken last night. Did Mrs. Mansart still reside in the Eleventh Street penthouse?" His highly honed instincts of investigation came to the fore.

"No, she has refused to live under Erik's protection for the past year," Nadir said quietly, attempting to spare Erik's raw feelings.

"I need to know where she lived, worked. Who she was friends with," John stated as he reached into his jacket to retrieve his cell phone. "Rob, I need all the information you can get me on Christine Mansart, I want to know everything about her, especially in the last forty-eight hours. I need it now Rob," he commanded.

Nadir finished with Erik's injuries and rose to cross the room to join John. "What was Mrs. Mansart's maiden name?" John asked Nadir.

"Daae," Erik called out abruptly as he rejoined his shattered world. "Her maiden name was Daae," he said in an agonized tone.

"Erik, John is going to find her," Nadir said reassuringly.

Erik looked up into the concerned eyes of his long-time friend. "I want her back, Nadir. I want her back with me alive," Erik said in a chilled tone that caused Nadir to still at the intensity of his boss's statement.

"You will have her back, Erik," Nadir promised with a conviction that he felt to the bottom of his soul. For, if anything should happen to Christine, he knew with absolute certainty that Erik would not survive one day past her death.


	2. Chapter 2

Obligatory disclaimer - I do not own any of the Characters or plotlines of Phantom of the Opera, they of course are from the genius of Leroux.

A/N I have found the most amazing Beta! Thank you so much Terpsichore314, you have truly made this story so much richer with your amazing talents.

Author – KatieKay90

Beta – Terpsichore314

Title – Unforgiven

Chapter 2 – The Hunt

Nine hours later

John Corbin stood back and surveyed his work of the last several hours. The large conference room on the sixty-third floor of the skyscraper that housed the home offices of Mansart Technologies had been literally transformed into a fully equipped forensics lab. Unfortunately, the kidnappers had provided little information with which to perform any forensics which left John feeling more than a little concerned that they would ever find Mrs. Mansart alive. The meager information he had been able to gather so far was that Mrs. Mansart was abducted from in front of her apartment building at seven twenty-one yesterday evening; they had caught a break that the entire event was recorded on the building's surveillance camera. He felt himself go cold as he recalled Mr. Mansart's reaction to the tape, for he had never seen such a wide range of emotions cross one persons face in such a short span of time. The thing that really got under John's skin was the look of intense longing Mr. Mansart exhibited when they froze the tape frame by frame so that they could take in all available evidence. From that look, John concluded that the office gossip was so far off from the mark on this one particular area, for Mr. Mansart did not hate his wife on the contrary, he loved her with an unquenchable passion that would follow him to the grave.

John's FBI training told him that the average kidnapper would hold their victim for three days and the timeline was falling right into place. Knowing that the next contact would take place within the hour, John mentally reviewed his team's readiness for any eventuality.

Nadir sat on Erik's office sofa and watched with concern as his friend of thirteen years paced the length of his office. He had seen Erik at his best and worst over those years, and through it all he could honestly say that he had never seen Erik as unfocused as he was now. Erik's iron-hard control had not even slipped when Christine's adultery was discovered and he systematically set out to punish her for her betrayal. Erik and Christine had an intense inexplicable attraction for each other from the very beginning, and the heat of their passion could be felt as though it were a tangible entity. Nadir looked at his watch and saw that the contact time indicated in the first note was approaching. As John stated earlier, this contact would more than likely contain the ransom information that the kidnapper would demand. Nadir already had over fifty million in cash tucked securely away in Erik's office safe. Now there was only waiting, just the endless waiting.

Christine squinted against the bright lights shining in her eyes. As she took in the main room of the tiny cabin for the first time, she saw that it was equipped with a small, serviceable kitchen. Well at least her kidnappers were eating, she thought to herself sardonically, not that she could keep anything down should they deem to offer. The large man with the black ski-mask was standing directly behind her as the other woman kidnapper began to ready a video recorder.

"We're running out of time, let's get this moving," the beefy man behind her called out to his accomplice.

"Okay," the woman replied in annoyance. "I'm recording," she said in a muffled voice.

The man held out a white piece of paper with a typed note. "Read," he commanded tersely.

Christine peered at the note through her swollen black eyes. As she quickly read the short note, she began to laugh at the absurdity of her situation. Unable to control herself, she dissolved into hysterical laughter that only served to incite her kidnapper's anger to the boiling point.

"Why are you laughing?" the man demanded from behind her, yanking viciously on her hair.

Gasping in pain, Christine ceased her laughter as she blinked back the tears that threatened. "You really haven't done your homework if you think that Erik will pay any amount of money to have me returned. Sorry, but you really chose the wrong person on this one. If fact, you might do better to have him send you money to kill me," she said with a short humorless laugh. "That way you will be doing him a favor; he won't have to put up with a lying, cheating bitch of a wife anymore," she said self-loathingly. Turning to the camera, she addressed it as though it were Erik "Isn't that right, Erik? This could be your lucky day. Who knows? By the end of the night you may be finally free of me." Christine replied with a knowing smile.

"Shut up!" her captor yelled, hitting her in the head from behind.

Stars danced before Christine's eyes as she teetered on the edge of consciousness.

"Fucking shit Carl, why didn't you know about this?" the woman yelled.

"Don't fucking say my name!" Carl responded as he grabbed Christine's shoulders roughly to prevent her from falling from her chair.

"Why? Do you think she is going to tell someone once she's dead?" the woman responded with sharp sarcasm.

Carl was thoughtful for a moment as he considered his wife's words. "I guess you're right, it really doesn't matter if she hears our names, Lela," he said compliantly.

Moaning painfully, Christine was beginning to shake off the effects of Carl's latest blow.

"Let's finish this," Carl called out. "Just read the paper. No laughing!" he ordered Christine.

"Hold on I need to reset the camera," Lela stated as she pushed several buttons to record over the previous recording. "Okay, go ahead," she commanded.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, Christine began to read the paper word for word in a calm voice that attested to her resignation to her coming plight.

Renee knocked softly on Erik's door before she entered. "This just arrived by private messenger," Renee said as she handed over the small package to Nadir.

Nadir took the package and saw that it again had no return address. Looking over at Erik, he saw that he had yet to turn around and acknowledge any of the happenings within the room. "Get John," Nadir called out to Renee softly.

Closing his eyes against the orange glow of the setting sun, Erik braced himself to hear the new information. This was all his fault, he thought to himself as he clenched his cut hand into a tight fist. The stinging pain was a welcome release from the oppressive weight that had settled around him nine hours earlier. He silently cursed himself for his unforgivable negligence in his failure to protect Christine. His stupid, foolish pride was alone responsible for all that had so callously befallen her, placing her very life in unimaginable danger.

"Erik," Nadir called out to garner Erik's attention.

With a heavy sigh, Erik turned and crossed the room to where Nadir stood with the package that held the key to Christine's very survival.

"Rob is interviewing the messenger that delivered the package," John announced as he entered the room. As he approached Nadir and Erik, he prepared himself for the next few telling minutes. Holding out his hand, he accepted the package from Nadir. "Ready?" he questioned as he looked up at both men.

"Yes," Erik responded in a tortured voice.

Nadir merely nodded as he watched his boss continue to suffer through the worst day of his life.

John carefully opened the small package, which revealed an unmarked video cassette. "Do we have a VHS player?" John inquired without looking up.

"In the conference room," Nadir said as he motioned for Erik to precede him out of the office.

Once John had cleared the room, he inserted the tape and pushed play.

Erik's heart jumped into his throat as he watched his battered wife read the demands of her kidnappers.

"I am to deliver this message to you as written. You are not to contact the police or the FBI. You are to wire twenty-five million dollars to the International Bank of Switzerland; the account number is 675-AC432-MM2. You are to have this transaction completed by noon tomorrow. Failure to adhere to these instructions will result in my immediate death. Erik, if you do as they request they will let me go."

"Hold up the paper," a disembodied female voice called out on the tape.

Christine held up the edition of this morning's New York Post, with an abject look of resignation that tore at Erik's already volatile emotions. As the screen faded into fuzzy white static, Erik let his head fall into his hands. She didn't believe that he was going to save her, she had already given up all hope of survival, Erik's mind cried out silently in agony. He didn't know which caused him more pain, the fact that at any minute Christine's life could be extinguished, or her utter lack of confidence in him that he would move heaven and earth to see her returned to safety.

"It may be time to call in the authorities," John said in a carefully controlled voice. "I still have some contacts at the FBI. I think that we need their expertise with this, Mr. Mansart," John suggested to his employer.

"Nadir?" Erik solicited his friend's opinion without lifting his head.

"I think that John is right. We need some expert help," Nadir said reasonably.

"What if they find out, what if the FBI slip up and let on that we called them?" he asked in an agonized tone that testified to the true extent of his fear.

John didn't want to voice his real opinion that regardless of the content of the message, they were going to kill Christine whether the ransom was received or not. As of noon tomorrow, he feared that Mrs. Mansart would lose her life at the hands of her captors. "It's more of a question of what can we do to find her, Mr. Mansart," John said gently.

Erik felt a rage building up within him as he contemplated the best thing for Christine. "All right, call them," he said decisively and with those words, set into action an irrevocable chain of events.

"Damn," John said as he leaned back heavily against his chair. "I suspected that they never intended to release her. So what do we do now?" he asked his former partner.

FBI Agent Mike Crepinski rubbed his jaw tiredly as he pushed the stop button on the digitally altered tape. "We follow the leads that we do have. First we begin to search for a couple with the first names of Carl and Lela," Mike responded in a matter-of-fact tone. "Cain, see what you can find on these two names. Start with the state of New York and New Jersey," he instructed his second-in-charge. "John, lets work on the surveillance tape that you got from her apartment building. Hopefully we can catch a partial plate on the van."

John nodded his head and looking at his watch, saw that it was closing in on five in the morning, and they only had seven more hours in which to find Christine, seven short hours in which to save her life.

"Any news?" Erik queried as he emerged from his private bathroom freshly showered and changed.

"As a matter of fact, they want to see us in the conference room," Nadir responded as he rose to stretch his tired muscles.

Erik anticipated the staff's arrival for another business day, and even though he would like nothing more than to dismiss them for the rest of the week so that he could concentrate on Christine's rescue, he felt that it would arouse too much suspicion.

As he made his way to the busy conference room, his intuition told him that there was something that John and the FBI agents weren't telling him. Something that he was determined to rectify as he would insist that they fully disclose all information pertaining to his wife.

John looked up from his seated position to see the half-masked Mr. Mansart enter the room in a simmering rage held in check only by the force of his will.

"Mike, this is Erik Mansart and Nadir Khan," John said by way of introduction.

The three men exchanged greeting handshakes and then settled down to the dire business at hand. "What have you learned?" Erik asked, taking immediate control of the conversation.

Mike, even though he had been forewarned of the strange appearance of the eccentric billionaire, found to his surprise that he was a little shocked. "Mr. Mansart, first let me tell you that we have hundreds of agents working on this case even as we speak. Now let's get down to what we know. Mrs. Mansart was abducted in front of her building at seven twenty-one last evening. When we reviewed the tape, we were able to pick up the first three numbers on the van's license plate. I have my men working on that lead now. Also we were able to lift another voice log off of the video tape that you received yesterday evening."

Nadir frowned at this bit of information. "I don't understand what voice log," he asked the question with a sinking feeling.

"When someone records over a previously recorded tape, it doesn't always cleanly erase the first recording. We were able to separate the two voice recordings," Mike explained.

"I want to hear it," Erik demanded abruptly.

"Mr. Mansart, I don't think that it is necessary," Mike began trying to spare the victim's husband any further pain.

"I didn't ask you what you thought was necessary, I asked you to play the tape," Erik said through his tightly clenched teeth.

Mike, a veteran agent of over twenty years, felt a chill race down his spine at the coldness reflected him Mr. Mansart's grey eyes.

"All right, Sam," he called out to his assistant to play the voice recording.

Erik's expression remained unmoved as he listened to his wife taunt her kidnappers. His only reaction was a slight jump at the sound of her captor's blow. After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, Erik turned his attention to the seasoned FBI agent. "It was never their intention to release her," he said in a hollow voice that attested to the validity of his ominous prediction.

Mike, who would normally tell the family members of kidnapped victims to keep hopeful, knew that the man before him would brook no such platitude. "No, it wasn't."

His worst fears confirmed Erik found his new purpose in life. He found the one thing that would keep him from literally going insane over the loss of his Christine. He would make it his mission in life to hunt down the people responsible for harming his wife. He would kill them just as ruthlessly as they would surely kill her. Turning to Nadir, he ordered his next plan of action. "I want a press release to go out immediately, one hundred million dollars for any information leading to the capture and conviction of Christine's kidnappers. I want it out now Nadir," Erik said in a deadly tone.

Nadir knew that there would be no going back now; Erik was on a personal vendetta of revenge, one that would not accept any form of failure.

Three days later

Erik felt an emptiness that would remain unfilled for the rest of his days as the helicopter began its descent. The large reward had finally paid off and he, along with Nadir, John and a large group of FBI agents were en route to the deserted cabin where Carl and Lela Myers had held Christine captive. It was a forgone conclusion that her captors would have left her body in the cabin as they tried to escape the countrywide manhunt. So far, there had been no sighting of the renegade couple. Something that money and time would surely rectify, and those thankfully were two things that Erik had in abundance. What he would not give if he could turn back the clock to a year and a half ago, when Christine was the one thing that brought him joy in his miserable life. Now it had all come to a tragic end. Now there was only revenge.

Nadir had watched Erik closely over the course of the last five days, and knew that his friend's control was about to shatter. It was one thing to expect to find Christine's body, but when the actuality occurred, he did not think that Erik would be able to hold on to his closely guarded feelings.

Mike turned to the three men seated in front of him. "When we land, my men will storm the cabin to ensure that no one is inside. Once they give me the all clear signal, I will go in and assess the scene. Remember you all agreed not to leave the helicopter I can't have you compromising the crime scene," Mike yelled over the roar of the helicopter's whirring blades.

John nodded in agreement for all three of them. As the helicopter touched down, several heavily armed men sprang from the open door and raced towards the small cabin.

Mike climbed down to the wooded ground and awaited his men's report.

Agent Sims cautiously held his .45 automatic out in front of his all-seeing eyes. In his flashlight beam he saw no one was inside the cabin save the motionless body on the floor. "All clear," he said into his headset as he approached the body of Mrs. Mansart. Reaching down he was surprised to feel that she was still quite warm to the touch. Quickly placing his fingers on her neck, he found a very faint and thready pulse. "Jesus! She's alive!"

Mike felt his heart hit his stomach hearing the unexpected news over his radio. Having been trained to plan and prepare for all aspects of any given situation, he jumped up into the helicopter to summon his paramedic crew. "She's alive," he said simply. Two words that gave back the promise of the world to the half-masked man, who at long last allowed the held-back tears of the last five days to fill his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Obligatory disclaimer - I do not own any of the Characters or plotlines of Phantom of the Opera, they of course are from the genius of Leroux.**

**A/N Thanks for the encouraging reviews! There is quite a little surprise at the end of this chapter. Thanks so much to Terpsichore, who has already made herself invaluable to me.**

**Author – KatieKay90 **

**Beta – Terpsichore314 **

**Title – Unforgiven **

**Chapter 3 – Rescued**

Erik pushed his way past the heavily armed agents that blocked the door to the deserted little cabin. The sight that met his eyes had him stagger back in abject horror. "Christine," he called out in an anguish-filled voice that made even the most cynical agents feel a pang of sorrow for the half-masked man. Recovering himself, he crossed to where the two paramedics were administering aid to an unmoving, almost lifeless Christine. Kneeling down at her side, he took her cold hand in his as if to transfer some of his life force to her. "Christine, I'm here. Don't you leave me Christine," he said firmly as he grasped her hand tightly. "Don't you dare leave me again!" Erik knew she was a lying cheating adulteress, but God help him, he could not deny his deep love and need for her.

Nadir stood with John at the cabin entrance as they watched the tragedy unfold before them. Nadir feared that they had arrived too late as he took in the condition of Erik's wife. _Please God, don't let her die_, he prayed silently for the benefit of his long-time friend.

Mike rushed into the cabin a moment later, and took in the situation with one glance. "How is she?" he demanded of his team.

The senior paramedic, Ron, looked up briefly towards the agent in charge and gave a slight shake of his head as if to let Mike know that there was little hope for his patient. "We need to get airborne now if she is to have any chance," Ron said gravely. "She is dangerously dehydrated," he added, and expertly inserted an IV into Christine's vein to administer fluids quickly.

"Let's get her aboard then," Mike replied with hardly a pause, and he began to shouting out rapid-fire orders to his agents to ready the helicopter for take off.

"Shouldn't we try to get her breathing stabilized first?" Marcus, the junior paramedic asked as he prepared Christine for air transport.

"No time, we can work on her in the chopper. If we don't get her to a hospital for a transfusion in the next twenty minutes, I don't think that she will pull through," Ron predicted grimly as he placed a breathing mask over Christine's mouth and nose, giving it a gentle squeeze as he listened to her lungs with his stethoscope. "Good breath sounds," he said, pleased that there was at least some small bit of good news.

Erik kept his tear-filled eyes trained on Christine's pale features, willing her to just hold on.

"Okay, now let's get her covered and aboard the chopper," Ron said as he reached for the shiny silver thermal blanket in which to cover Christine. Once he had her securely fastened to the gurney, he motioned for Marcus to lift the gurney. "On my count, one…two…three," Ron said, lifting his patient with the aid of his fellow team member. As they quickly exited the cabin into the frigid, dark January night, Erik kept his tight hold on Christine's hand, as if she would be lost to him forever if he dared to let go.

John followed Nadir as he ran towards the helicopter. "I'm going to stay here and see what evidence they uncover," he informed Nadir as they watched Christine being carefully loaded onto the chopper.

Nodding his head in agreement, Nadir awaited his turn to board. "Give me a call with any new information you uncover," he yelled over the roar of the whirling blades.

John waved his hand in agreement as he backed away towards the cabin that would hold the answers to find the people responsible for Christine's abduction. Turning towards his old friend Mike, he heaved a sigh of regret. Regret that they may have arrived just a few moments too late. Too late to save a life that held so much value to a man who lived his life behind a mask.

Erik sat with his hands gripped together as he stared unblinkingly at the mint-green-flecked tile of the hospital waiting room floor. God he was tired, he admitted to himself for the first time in five hellish days. Five days in which he could neither eat or sleep. Five days filled with unending gut-wrenching fear. But most unbearable of all was the five days of his utter failure. Failure in his duty to protect the one person who was most precious to him on this earth, his Christine, his wife. Because even though they were estranged, Erik knew he could not love another the way he still loved Christine.

Nadir ended his hushed conversation with John as he turned his attention to Erik's unmoving form. "Erik," he called out softly.

"What time is it?" Erik asked in a hollow tone which attested to the bleakness of his emotions.

"Two-thirty," Nadir responded as he glanced at the large clock on the wall.

"That means she's been in surgery for over six and a half hours," Erik said more to himself than to his companion.

Frowning in concern, Nadir knew that Erik was nearing a breaking point. "Erik, when was the last time you got any sleep?" he asked quietly.

Erik allowed himself a slight smile. "My guess would be about the same time as you," he said knowingly.

"I'm going to see if I can arrange a private room for you to wait in," Nadir said as he rose to seek out the hospital administrator.

"What did John have to report?" Erik asked dispassionately, delaying his friend from his self-appointed task.

Nadir slid into the chair opposite Erik as he began to tell of the latest developments in the case. "So far they have just confirmed that Carl and Lela Myers were at the cabin. While they did cover their tracks well, they did make a few mistakes," he said with a sigh. "There have been several sighting of the Myers, but as of yet none of them have led to their capture."

"Anything else?" Erik asked as he lifted his head to look into the exhausted face of his friend.

"Madeline has left several messages for you," Nadir began cautiously as he knew that Erik's mother would not be a welcome interruption at this time.

"Shit!" Erik let the involuntary curse slip as he thought of his meddlesome mother. "Keep her away Nadir," Erik warned with a frustrated shake of his head.

"I will," Nadir assured Erik. "Janet is also working on a press release for the morning news shows."

"Okay," Erik said wearily.

Rising from his chair, Nadir stretched his tired muscles. "I'm going to see about that room," he informed Erik as he walked towards the hallway.

Erik only nodded his head as he continued his silent vigil. A vigil that would ultimately determine the course of the rest of his life.

"Good work everyone," doctor Shawn Tanner called out to his surgical team as he removed his bloodstained latex gloves. Turning to his resident, he barked out several instructions. "Keep an eye on her pressure; if it goes any lower, I want to be paged immediately. Also I want to continue infusing her with warmed saline as well as two more units of blood over the course of the next two hours," he said as he walked towards the operating room exit.

Sharon Kendrick quickly wrote down Dr. Tanner's orders onto Christine's chart. "Do you want to start her on Demerol?" Sharon asked as she walked alongside the city's top surgeon.

Discarding his surgical gown, Shawn considered Sharon's suggestion. "Let's hold off for a bit; the anesthesia shouldn't wear off for another hour, and I'm afraid that if we start her on pain management therapy she won't wake up as soon as I'd like," he said reflectively.

"Okay," Sharon said as she began to remove her own gown. "I'll stay with her and page you when she starts to wake up."

"Thanks. Now I need to find her husband," Shawn said absently as he started in the direction of the nurses' station only to be met by the hospital administrator.

"Shawn, may I have a word?" Tim Ryan inquired as he regarded his chief of surgery.

"Sure, what has you here at this time of morning?" Shawn asked as he walked with Tim towards a small private conference room.

"Your patient actually, Christine Mansart," Tim said succinctly. "Mrs. Mansart is the wife of Erik Mansart, as in Mansart Technologies," Tim said with a probing look.

Shawn's face showed enlightenment as he identified the name Mansart as the same as the new state-of-the-art pediatrics wing. "I wasn't aware," Shawn said simply.

"Yes, well, in light of the situation we want to make sure that you have everything you need to ensure that Mrs. Mansart receives the best possible care," Tim informed his chief carefully.

Shawn was slightly taken aback by the unsubtle implication that Mrs. Mansart receive specialized treatment over any other patient who might walk through their doors. "Tim, let me assure you that ALL my patients receive the best care possible," Shawn responded in an offended voice.

Tim had the good grace to look somewhat censured. "I have no doubt, Shawn, but as Mr. Mansart is a very generous benefactor to the hospital, the board and I just wanted you to know that we are making Mrs. Mansart's recovery our top priority," Tim said, further emphasizing the underlying message.

After seven hours of intricate surgery, Shawn decided just to ignore the offensive nature of the conversation. "Can you tell me where to find Mr. Mansart?" he asked Tim with a weary sigh.

"We have him waiting in a private room on the sixth floor," Tim responded quietly.

"All right," Shawn said as he headed for the stairwell.

Tim rushed after the fit surgeon, silently cursing his preferred use of the stairs as they were four levels below the sixth floor.

Erik looked down at the specially prepared tray that the hospital staff had brought to him thirty minutes earlier. Standing up from the small table, Erik crossed to look out at the twinkling lights of the sleeping city.

"Erik, you should try to eat something," Nadir's concerned words broke the silence.

"I'll eat when I know that Christine is going to be all right," Erik responded woodenly.

Releasing a dejected sigh, Nadir pushed his own half-eaten tray away. "I thought that the doctor said that the surgery should only take five hours, it is going past seven hours now," Nadir complained as he gave in to his frustration at the endless waiting.

Erik allowed himself a small smile at the end of his friend's remarkable patience. "Let's give them fifteen more minutes and then find the administrator and get some answers," Erik suggested with a layer of steel to his tone.

Nadir was spared from responding as a soft knock was heard on the closed door. "Come in," Nadir called out.

Shawn pushed open the door to enter the private luxury suite the hospital reserved for its most eminent patients. "Mr. Mansart?" he inquired as he approached Nadir.

"No, I'm Nadir Khan, Mr. Mansart's associate," Nadir responded automatically.

A red-faced, out-of-breath Tim entered the room a short moment after Dr. Tanner. "Mr. Mansart, Mr. Khan," he greeted between gasps for breath.

Shooting Tim an annoyed look, Shawn turned his attention to his patient's husband. "Mr. Mansart, I'm Shawn Tanner. I performed the surgery on your wife Christine," he said as he held out his hand to the strange half-masked man.

"Dr. Tanner, how is Christine?" Erik asked with an uncharacteristic tremor to his voice.

Shawn motioned for Erik to join him at the small seating area. "We have her stabilized." Shawn began with the good news. "She has a very deep stab wound that runs from her left shoulder to her upper chest," Shawn informed Erik as he demonstrated the length of the cut across his own shoulder and chest. "She was very lucky that the knife missed the main artery to her heart," Shawn said with a look of amazement, as he in all of his twenty-two years of medical experience had never seen such a deep wound miss its intended target so egregiously. "With all of that said, we still have several concerns to address. Christine lost over half of her blood volume; it is a miracle that she survived that alone. We have the cold January weather to thank for slowing down her blood loss. We are still giving her a blood transfusion, and I would predict that we will need to give her several more units," he said as he rubbed his jaw tiredly. "Now we need to move on to our biggest obstacle, infection," Shawn said with a seriousness that caused Erik's hands to clench into tight fists.

"Infection?" Erik said as he regarded the physician with a sharp stare.

"My estimate was that the stab wound was inflicted over three days ago, and with the lack of medical attention a serious infection has set in. We are giving Christine heavy doses of antibiotics to combat the infection, but it has entered her bloodstream so we have a real battle on our hands," Shawn ended as he studied the reaction from his patient's husband.

Nadir looked down at the floor, unable to watch the look of abject fear in Erik's eyes for one second longer.

"Is she going to die?" Erik at last voiced the question he had been dreading to ask.

Shawn felt a sharp clutching at his heart as he viewed the intense pain of the man who had been through hell and back in the course of the last several days. "I don't know, Mr. Mansart," he responded honestly. "We need to see how she responds to the antibiotic treatment."

Nodding, Erik looked down at his tightly clenched hands. "May I see her?" he asked with a shuddering breath.

"Yes, of course," Shawn said as he rose from his chair. "She is in ICU, when you see her she will be hooked up to several monitors. We also have a tube down her throat to help her breathe," Shawn warned as the headed towards the elevator in deference to his out-of-shape colleague.

Erik merely nodded as he entered the elevator.

The ride was completed in silence as the men exited the opened doors towards the glass-enclosed ICU. Once they reached its entrance, Shawn paused and turned to face Erik. "Mr. Mansart, we need to keep Christine as calm as possible," he advised Erik.

"I understand," Erik said wearily.

Nodding, Shawn pushed open the door and motioned Erik to precede him towards Christine's bedside.

Erik drew in a sharp breath at the sight of his beautiful wife. "Christine," his voice broke, as her name literally tore from his lips in an agonized whisper.

Sharon looked up sharply at the sound of Erik's tortured whisper. "Dr. Tanner," she greeted her boss as she gave him a quizzical look.

"Dr. Kendrick, this is Mr. Mansart, Christine's husband," Shawn informed his resident.

Sharon held out her hand to the man she had read about in the tabloids. "Mr. Mansart," she greeted him, thinking that even in his grief he was an impressive man.

Erik absently took her hand without looking away from Christine.

Shawn picked up Christine's chart and began to review the latest set of vitals. "Has she shown any signs of regaining consciousness?" he asked Sharon quietly.

"Not yet," she said as she retrieved a chair to place beside Christine's bed. "Here, Mr. Mansart," she offered to Erik considerately. "You can hold her hand," she said with a knowing smile.

Erik slowly sat down as he tentatively took hold of Christine's hand. His heart jumped when he felt her hand tighten in response to his warm touch. Bending his head, he placed a reverent kiss on her hand that expressed the true depth of his love of her.

Several monitors began to accelerate in their incessant beeping as Christine's head began to move from side to side.

Shawn handed the chart off to Sharon as he walked over to Christine to lift her eyelid to shine a small penlight into her blue eyes. "She's coming around," he said in a clinical voice that galvanized Sharon into action.

Pushing the nurse call button, Sharon prepared for Christine's reemergence into consciousness.

"Talk to her, Erik, let her know you're here," Shawn suggested as he took Christine's pulse.

Erik tightened his grip on her soft hand. "Christine, I'm here," he said, all of his love revealed in his voice.

Christine's chest rose as she took in several deep breaths. Opening her eyes, she was alarmed at the number of strangers that were hovering around her. Panic began to set in as she realized that she had a tube down her throat as well as several wires that were attaching her to monitors that were sounding various alarms. Trying to rise, she found that her arm was immobilized against her left side.

Shawn, seeing that his patient was in the throes of a full-blown panic attack, began speaking soothingly to Christine. "Christine, you're safe. You are in the hospital. Your husband is here," he said calmingly as she caught his gaze with a frightened look.

Christine began shaking her head from side to side in an agitated manner.

"Christine!" Shawn said sharply. "You must listen to me, you need to stay calm," he said as he looked into her eyes that were beginning to glisten with tears. "It's okay, Christine, you're safe here," he said in a kinder tone.

Erik saw a tear well in her eye and escape to trail down her cheek, and felt as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. He felt her suffering as though it were his own. "Christine," he called out to her pleadingly.

Christine looked up at the strange half-masked man, wondering why he was here. Looking back towards the doctor, she motioned at the tube down her throat.

Shawn, seeing that she wanted the tube removed, nodded to Sharon. "Okay, Christine, I will remove the breathing tube if you promise to do everything I tell you," he stated with an encouraging smile.

Nodding her head, Christine indicated her acquiescence to the doctor's instructions.

Sharon handed off a pair of gloves to Shawn as she motioned for Erik to stand at the foot of the bed.

"Okay, Christine, on the count of three I want you to take in a deep breath and then blow as hard as you can," Shawn said as he unhooked the monitor to the intubations tube. "One…two…three." Shawn pulled the long tube from Christine's tender throat, and she coughed as she began to take in several deep breaths.

"Good, take in slow even breaths, that's it," Shawn said as he patted her knee encouragingly.

"What happened?" Christine asked in a hoarse raspy tone with an anxious look upon her bruised face.

Shawn could not hide the look of concern that crossed his features. "Christine, don't you remember what happened?" he asked her gently.

Shaking her head, Christine tried to remember what had brought her to this place. "Was I in an accident?" she asked ingenuously.

Erik drew in a sharp breath, realizing that Christine had no recollection of the hell that she had undergone. Walking towards her right side, he took up her hand in his. "No Christine, you weren't in an accident," he informed her with a slight smile.

Frowning up at the stranger who so boldly held her hand, she asked the question that had been plaguing her tired mind since the moment she woke up. "Who are you?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Obligatory disclaimer - I do not own any of the Characters or plotlines of Phantom of the Opera, they of course are from the genius of Leroux. **

**A/N Wow, thanks for the all of the encouraging reviews! And a major thank you to my amazing beta Terpsichore314. She not only corrects my many grammar mistakes, she is also a major influence in the direction our story is taking. So thank you Terpsichore314, you are truly making me sound so much better than I am! **

**Author – KatieKay90 Beta – Terpsichore314 Title – Unforgiven**

**Chapter 4 – Reunion**

Dr. Shawn Tanner's brow creased in concern as he heard his patient's telling words. "Can you tell me your name?" His clinical question broke through the oppressive tension that filled the room.

Christine pulled her gaze away from the intent stare of the strange half-masked man to look at Dr. Tanner. "It's Christine…Christine Daae," she said with a rehearsed certainty.

Shawn was careful not to alter his features as he studied Christine. "And can you tell me what month and year it is, Christine?" he asked her in a calm, soothing tone.

Christine looked somewhat puzzled that he would ask such a question. "It's July, 2004," she said confidently.

"Christine." Her name was an emotional plea wrenched from Erik's tight throat. He could only stare at her as a crushing bleakness filled his heart.

"I'm sorry," Christine said slowly as she pulled her hand from his uncomfortably tight grasp. "Have we met before?" she asked Erik hesitantly, seeing the sharp flash of pain in his green eyes.

"Oh God!" Erik cried out in response to her innocent question and he lowered his eyes, unwilling to let her see his feelings. Erik took a moment to compose himself, and lifted his astonished gaze to look upon her confused, bruised face. "Christine, I'm Erik…your husband," he said in a soft hushed tone, watching her intently for the minutest spark of recognition.

Shaking her head slowly, Christine regarded the man whom she had never seen before. "No," she said as she looked at him cautiously. "I don't know you," she said with a small amount of alarm filling her voice.

Erik felt as thought she had just plunged a dagger through his heart as she continued to stare at him without acknowledgment. "Christine, please listen to me. We were married in September of 2004. We…." Erik could not explain any further because he was cut off by Christine's exclamation of rapidly growing distress.

"NO! It's not true!" Christine cried as she lurched to the opposite side of the bed in an attempt to distance herself from the stranger who was beginning to scare her. "I'm not married! I don't know you!" Christine said, feeling a loud rushing sound assaulting her ears.

Seeing the look of unmitigated fear in her tearful blue eyes, Erik slowly turned to walk away, his heart constricting in unbearable pain.

Several alarms began to sound from the numerous monitors within the room, galvanizing Dr. Tanner into action. "Sharon, I need twenty-five milligrams of Midazolam," the doctor said, ordering a sedative for his agitated patient.

"Yes, doctor," the efficient Sharon said as she turned to access the requested drug.

Shawn crossed to the spot that Erik had recently vacated in an attempt to calm his overwrought patient. "Christine, I need you to listen to me. I need you to take in a slow, deep breath," Shawn said as he watched her struggle with her breathing.

"I don't know him," Christine insisted again as she turned her anguished eyes to meet Shawn's concerned gaze.

"Christine, I am going to give you something to help you sleep," Shawn said soothingly as he injected the Midazolam-filled syringe into her IV port.

Grabbing on to her doctor's hand, Christine began to cry brokenly. "Please make him go away. He frightens me…please."

Erik braced his arm against the wall, his legs threatening to give way beneath him. Christine's irrefutable fear tore though to his very soul. He had accomplished the impossible, the feat of staying strong and steadfastly in control over the last five hellish days. But it was now, in the face of Christine's relative safety, that his patented iron hard control chose to forsake him. Christine's total lack of recognition of him and their marriage was the one thing he had not expected, the one thing that he did not think he could endure. The proof of his fallibility was an unbearable shock.

Shawn watched Christine's breathing slow to an even rhythm as the sedative began to take effect. "Lie back, Christine," he instructed gently as he assisted her into a reclining position.

Still shaking her head gradually from side to side, Christine uttered her words in a repeating slurred chant, vehemently denying Erik's marital claim. "I don't know him…I don't…I don't" she said in slow torturous whispers as she faded into a deep passive sleep.

"Give her fifteen milligrams of Demerol and monitor her vitals every fifteen minutes. Let me know if there is any change," Dr. Tanner said tiredly as he turned towards the distraught man who had suffered more than any man should ever have to withstand. "Mr. Mansart, if you will follow me," Shawn said as he walked towards Erik.

Unable to speak, Erik merely followed Dr. Tanner out into the hall where Nadir stood with the hospital administrator.

"Erik! What is it? " Nadir exclaimed, alarmed by Erik's look of obvious distress.

"Mr. Khan, if you would please allow me a few minutes alone to speak with Mr. Mansart," Shawn asked tactfully.

"No," Erik said in a barely-there tone. "That's not necessary. Nadir needs to hear this as well."

Nodding in agreement, Shawn pointed them to a small, empty waiting room. Tim Ryan tried to enter the room with them, but Shawn turned and pointedly blocked his way. "Thank you for your help, Tim, but I can take it from here," Shawn said as he pushed the door shut, leaving a very annoyed hospital administrator on the other side.

Erik held his head in his hands as his mind cruelly kept replaying Christine's abject look of incontrovertible fear.

"Mr. Mansart, let me begin by telling you that it is not uncommon for patients who have suffered a traumas such as Christine's to temporarily lose their memory," Shawn said as he took the chair directly across from Erik.

Nadir felt a cold chill seep through his skin as he realized the cause of his friend's latest distress. "Christine has lost her memory?" he asked with a pained expression on his dark features.

"She is showing the classic signs of temporary amnesia. She believes that it is July 2004," Dr. Tanner informed the stunned Nadir.

Nadir fell back against his chair in shock as he registered the extent of Christine's condition.

"You said temporary," Erik's stilted words filled the uneasy silence. "Just how long is temporary?"

Shawn grimaced. Erik's barely controlled emotions appeared to be held by the thinnest of proverbial threads. "I can't answer that with any clinical certainty. Some patients regain their memory within hours or days, while others go on for weeks and months. Some, I'm afraid, never achieve any recollection," Shawn relayed concernedly as a look of dejection took up residence on Erik's half-masked face.

"Is there any treatment that will help her recover her memory?" Erik asked with a resigned tone which reflected his utter sense of helplessness.

"No, none that I would recommend, at least for the time being, as our first concern is Christine's infection," Shawn said purposefully.

"You had said earlier that the infection had entered her blood. How long will she have to stay on the antibiotics for the infection to clear?" Nadir asked, knowing that Erik was too spent to even begin to think straight.

"I expect to see some signs of improvement by tomorrow evening," Shawn predicted encouragingly.

"And if she responds like you hope, when will she be released from the hospital?" Nadir asked as Erik listened intently.

"If Christine responds well and shows signs of improvement, I would guess that she can be released in five days' time," Shawn said with a pensive look. "With that said, I think we should discuss Mr. Mansart's effect on Christine in her current condition," Shawn said as he leaned forward to emphasize his point. "I think that it would be in Christine's best interest and in the interest of her recovery if Mr. Mansart would not visit her over the course of the next few days."

Erik carefully banked down his urgent impulse to smash in Doctor Tanner's face, for he knew that the good doctor's assertion that his very presence proved detrimental to Christine's healing was correct. "And after three days…what then?" Erik asked with a frustrated sigh.

Shawn could see the discouraged gleam in the troubled man's eyes. "Mr. Mansart, if after three days Christine still shows no signs of regaining her memory, then we will have to consider calling for a consult with Dr. Baird, our Chief of Psychiatry," Shawn offered gently.

Unable to speak, Erik just nodded his head.

Nadir wondered what other possible hell was in store for his friend and boss. "Dr. Tanner, here is my card with my and Erik's private numbers. If there is any change in Christine's condition…." Nadir's voice trailed off as Dr. Tanner nodded understandingly.

Shawn stood and held out his hand to Mr. Khan, "I'll contact you with any change."

After Shawn made his exit, Nadir slid back into his seat beside Erik. "There is little you can do here, Erik. Let me drive you to the penthouse so you can get some rest," Nadir said.

"She didn't know me, Nadir," Erik said bleakly as though he didn't hear Nadir's suggestion.

"Erik," Nadir said sadly, frowning in concern.

"She looked right into my eyes and didn't know that I was her husband," Erik said so despairingly that Nadir began to worry Erik was teetering the on the very edge of his own sanity.

Reaching down, Nadir grasped Erik's arm and pulled him up. "It's time to go home now, Erik," Nadir said simply.

"Home," Erik repeated the word as he rose to follow Nadir out the door. His home was lying broken and battered in a bed across the hall. His home was fighting some unimaginable demons that had caused her mind to retreat into itself in order to preserve some sense of self. His home was his Christine, and until he had her completely and firmly back in his life, he would wonder aimlessly, without a place to call home.



_Three days later_

"Damn that man!" Madeline cursed Nadir as she threw her cell phone down on the dining room table. "You'd think that he would let me talk to my own son," she said with an ugly sneer marring her perfectly lined lips.

Angelique lifted her tea to her lips as she regarded her mother's oldest friend. Smoothing a wrinkle from the skirt of her pink wool Versace suit, she probed Madeline for information on the call. "Did he at least give you an update on Christine's condition?" she asked with a calculating look.

"Apparently the little bitch is on the mend. The infection is almost at bay, so they are allowing Erik to see her this afternoon," Madeline informed her preferred choice of wife for her son.

"Erik hasn't called me at all this week," Angelique informed Madeline with an annoyed sigh. "My only contact has been with Renee, who set about to cancel all future plans."

"Of course he hasn't. That bitch has him tied to her side once again!" the older woman said as she threw up her hand in a gesture of frustration. Inhaling a deep breath, Madeline began to drum her red lacquered nails upon the highly polished cherrywood of the table. Her keen green eyes were menacing as she plotted to once again oust her daughter-in-law from her son's life. "We have to get Erik away from her," she said with an insistence borne of her strong resolve.

"Easier said than done," Angelique replied. She tucked a stray piece of icy blond hair back into place that had dared escape her expertly fashioned chignon.

"I did it before and I can certainly do it again," Madeline said coldly. "I think it's time we paid a little visit to my dear little daughter-in-law."

Angelique raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow in response to Erik's mother's calculating statement. Offering Madeline a knowing smile, Angelique almost felt sorry for the poor unsuspecting Christine.



Erik cursed the barrage of unending questions as he pushed his way past the ravenous pack of press and photographers who had taken up residence at all of the hospital's entrances.

Nadir stood just inside the hospital entrance as he watched his boss stalk through the throng of paparazzi. Pushing open the door, he allowed his boss entrance as he heard a multitude of yelled-out questions.

"Have you talked with Dr. Tanner this morning?" Erik inquired as he walked quickly to the bank of elevators.

"Yes. He has arranged for Dr. Baird to meet with Christine later this afternoon," Nadir said in reply to his friend's briskly worded question.

"Then she is well enough to talk about her loss of memory," Erik said more to himself than to his closest friend.

"So it appears," Nadir said as they filed onto the elevator. "Madeline called again this morning," Nadir said cautiously as he informed Erik of his mother's call.

"She is absolutely the last thing I need right now," Erik said with disgusted shake of his head. "Try to put her off for today, I will call her tomorrow."

"All right. Also John called in to report that the FBI are zeroing in on Montana as the location where the Myers have gone into hiding," Nadir said as he closely watched Erik's features, which took on a cold, steely look.

"Good, keep me posted and…." Erik's words were cut short by the sound of Christine's screams of fear. Breaking into a run, Erik rounded the corner of the hall to push open the door to Christine's private room. What he saw caused his blood to boil with suppressed rage.

Nadir peered past Erik to see that one of the paparazzi had made it past hospital security and was now firing a line of vicious questions at a distraught Christine as he snapped a series of photographs that would surely fetch top dollar.

Erik could not contain his rage at that sight and rushed into the room and grabbed the offending man to crush him high up against the wall. "YOU DARE ENTER MY WIFE'S HOSPITAL ROOM," he roared with his anger-filled eyes lancing the loathsome reporter into silence.

Christine watched as tears began to run down her cheeks, for the reporter's questions had just revealed that the man who currently had the reporter pinned against the wall was in fact her husband.

Nadir reached down and picked up the fallen camera to access the memory card to erase all of the unauthorized photographs depicting a frightened Christine. Looking towards Christine, he saw that she was crying silently as she watched Erik confront the intruding reporter. "Erik," Nadir called firmly to his boss.

Hearing his name, Erik forced himself to release the little man. "If I see you near my wife again, I will kill you." Though his statement was quietly worded, the full force of his ominous intent could be felt throughout the room.

As the reporter made his hasty retreat, Nadir threw his camera towards him, almost enjoying the look of relief on the stupid man's face. "I'll get Dr. Tanner," Nadir said as he turned to walk out of the room, leaving Christine and Erik alone for the first time in over a year.

Erik swallowed hard at the look of fear and confusion on his beautiful wife's face. "Are you all right?" he asked gently.

Christine looked up into the stranger's, no, her husband's, concerned gaze. "That man, he said…." Her voice trailed off as she forced herself to confront the telling questions that had been so rapidly thrown at her just moments ago.

Erik wanted nothing more than to gather her up in his arms and protect her for the rest of her days, but if he even approached her, he risked bringing a renewed sense of fear to her. Therefore, he remained across the room, powerless to offer any sort of comfort to his wife. His quietly worded apology would have to do. "I'm sorry, I should have foreseen such an incident," he offered.

Christine was pulled from her self-absorbed thoughts at the strange man's self-berating words. "It's really true, then. I am your wife," Christine said as she looked directly at the man who was her husband.

Erik nodded, watching her reaction closely.

Christine had to look away as she struggled with the truth that she had no recollection of knowing this man, let alone marrying him. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she began to consider all that this poor man had to endure over that past few days. A strange sense of calm began to settle over her as she regarded the man whom she had tied herself to in an unremembered past. "What is to happen now?" she asked softly.

Erik felt his heart kick into overdrive at the question, for he did not know the answer. "I honestly don't know," he said as he crossed to stand at her bedside. Seeing that her eyes did not hold the same fear as before, he tentatively reached out and took her hand in his. "But this I can assure you, Christine. Whatever comes our way, we will face it together," he said with a conviction that embraced Christine with its promise of certainty.

With her hand held so gently within his, Christine felt an unerring sense of belonging. Smiling up at him for the first time, she nodded her head in agreement, feeling that whatever fate held in store for them, they _would_ face it together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Obligatory disclaimer - I do not own any of the Characters or plotlines of Phantom of the Opera, they of course are from the genius of Leroux. **

**A/N Thanks for all the encouraging reviews! And a very big thank you to all of those who read my chapter on Secrets Left Untold. I had a great time writing that and hope that someone will invite me to participate in another round robin project soon. Thank you so much to Terpsichore314 for not only working with me on this project but for also helping me on the Secrets chapter, I mean it when I say that without her expertise I would simply fall flat on my face. Thanks Terpsichore! I hope you like this next chapter, please review and let me know your thoughts.**

**Author – KatieKay90 Beta – Terpsichore314 Title – Unforgiven **

**Chapter 5 – Strangers**

"I'll bet you're happy to be going home today, Mrs. Mansart," Amy the young nurse said as she packed up the last of Christine's things.

HOME! Christine's mind revolted at the word. Where was home, and, more importantly, with whom did she share that home? The stranger who claimed he was her husband and who visited her twice daily had yet to spark any recognition within her confused brain. His visits often created more questions than answers. Consciously she knew that she didn't remember him from her past, though for some strange, unknown reason, she felt as if she were connected to him. Perhaps it was the mere idea of their marriage that prompted her feelings of familiarity.

"Would you like to take the flowers?" the nurse asked, pulling Christine from her troubled thoughts.

Erik had sent her flowers every day, and when Christine looked about her room she marveled at the multitude of exquisite arrangements. "No, if you would please disperse them amongst the other patients so they can enjoy them," Christine requested softly.

"That's very kind of you," Amy said as she zipped the expensive designer luggage. "Mr. Mansart is due to arrive any moment. Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked with a smile.

"No, thank you. I want you and the entire staff to know how much I appreciated all that you have done for me," Christine said gratefully.

"It's been our pleasure," Amy said as she crossed to the door. "Good-bye, Mrs. Mansart."

"Good-bye," Christine called after the departing nurse, feeling somewhat bereft. Sinking down onto the soft leather chair, she waited; waited for her husband to arrive, and waited to once again begin to live.

* * *

Erik strode through the elevator doors with a nervous energy chasing at his heels. For the past two weeks, he had felt an utter lack of control over this untenable situation. But today all that would change; today he would take his wife away from the dictates of others, today she would once again be under his domain.

Nadir, who was talking with Dr. Baird, felt his boss's underlying tension as Erik joined them. "Erik, Dr. Baird would like a private word with you before he releases Christine."

Erik fought his urge to refuse the bothersome doctor, who had been nothing more than a thorn in his side for the past two weeks. "Very well," Erik said with a barely restrained sigh.

Dr. Baird was quite aware that the strange billionaire did not particularly take stock in the science of psychiatry, so he knew he had better tread lightly. "Mr. Mansart, as we have already discussed, Christine is very apprehensive about leaving with you today." Seeing the half-masked man begin to bristle, Dr. Baird continued hurriedly, "That said, I just want to explain again how detrimental it would be for her just to resume her former life without having an appropriate time period to adjust for her loss of memory."

"I am fully aware of the risks involved," Erik said with a stiff jaw. "I can assure you that no one holds Christine's well being to a higher degree than I."

"Yes, but…" Dr. Baird started, only to be stalled by Nadir who could see that Erik was barely holding on to his volatile temper.

"Dr. Baird, I believe you said you had some books you could recommend for Mr. Mansart," Nadir interrupted smoothly as he stepped in between Erik and the small doctor.

Erik took advantage of Nadir's diversionary tactic and turned and headed towards Christine's room. As he reached the door, he paused to prepare himself for the look of fear that would enter her eyes when she saw him. Taking a deep breath, he stiffened his resolve and pushed open the door.

Christine looked up with alarm as Erik entered. "Erik," she called out softly.

Unable to stop himself, he said, "You look beautiful," and walked slowly towards her.

Smiling, Christine stood as he approached. "I'm sure that's not true, but thank you."

Erik reached out and lightly caressed the side of her face where there was still a hint of a bruise that attested to the horror she had endured. "You are beautiful, Christine," he whispered, drinking in the sight of her.

Christine drew in a sharp breath at the intense look of longing in Erik's gaze. Feeling uncomfortable, she drew back from him.

Erik closed his eyes briefly to try to shut out the pain of her rejection. "If you are ready we can leave," he said, turning away from her to retrieve her bag.

Christine's heart began to beat franticly as the moment she had been dreading arrived.

Erik, seeing her apprehension, gently set down her luggage. "Christine," he called to her softly.

Christine looked up to see concern for her plainly written on his half-masked features.

"I know that you are feeling lost and unsure of what the future holds," he said, taking a step to stand in front of her. "Let's just take it one step at a time; I want you to know that I don't expect anything from you that you don't feel comfortable giving."

Christine felt some of her fear dissipate at Erik's statement. 'I'm sorry," Christine said sadly.

"You have nothing to feel sorry about," Erik declared, and decided that the conversation was too intense for Christine to handle just yet. "Tell you what, let's pretend that we are strangers who have just met for the first time," he said with an amused gleam in his eyes. Holding out his hand, he introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Erik Mansart."

Christine laughed softly at Erik's sweet gesture. Putting her small hand in his, she followed his lead. "Nice to meet you Erik. My name is Christine."

Erik, congratulating himself at putting her more at ease, motioned to the door. "Shall we get out of here, Christine?" he invited, presenting his arm to her.

Liking this side of her husband, she linked her arm through his, rewarding him with the brightest smile she had yet given him. "Lead on, kind sir."

With a slight nod of his head, Erik picked up her luggage and together they headed towards the door.

"Is everything prepared?" Erik said to Nadir urgently when he and Christine exited off the hospital's freight elevator.

"Hello, Christine," Nadir greeted Erik's wife. "Yes, I have the decoy in place, so shall we begin?" he asked his anxious boss.

Erik nodded his head as he placed a protective arm around Christine, relieved when she didn't tense at his touch, as she had so often over the last few weeks.

Nadir lifted his cell phone and instructed John to signal the decoy. "Go ahead, John."

"How long?" Erik asked as he led Christine towards a large white cargo van emblazoned with the name 'Ace Linen Service' on its side.

"About ten minutes to know if we were successful," Nadir replied, seeing with alarm the color drain from Christine's face. "Christine?" he said concernedly.

Erik looked down sharply at his wife, seeing her freeze in fear as she stared at the van. "Christine," he said softly, trying to pull her gaze from the van.

Shaking her head back and forth, Christine tried to disengage herself from Erik in a frantic attempt to back away from the van. "NO! Please let me go," she said, the terror in her voice tearing at Erik's heart.

Erik swore to himself as he realized that the van was similar to the one in which Christine had been abducted. "Nadir! Get the van the hell out of here!" he yelled at his friend.

Nadir was galvanized into action, reacting to the tenseness of the situation. "Move it, go!" he yelled at the driver who was one of John's top men.

Erik, seeing that Christine was shaking with her own private fear picked her up gently in his arms and strode back towards the elevator. Once he had her safely inside, he set her down and gathered her to his chest, all the while cursing his thoughtless stupidity. "Christine, I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair as he held her tightly against him.

Christine felt her breathing begin to return to normal as she found a calm safety in Erik's strong embrace. "Don't let go," she breathed, clinging to him as if he was the one person who could keep her from harm.

"I won't," Erik promised, feeling his eyes well with overwhelming emotion. "I won't ever let you go again," he said with the conviction of a man who would protect Christine with his very life.

* * *

"Just how do you expect me to remain calm, when my son has taken off to parts unknown with that little whore?" Madeline screamed. The seedy looking man merely watched her with a bored expression on his weathered face.

"I have everything under control. My men are well aware of your son's location," he said, leaning back in his office chair.

"Where?" Madeline's sharp tone rent the air.

With a cautionary shake of his head, Rene Javert warned her not to ask any questions. "The more you do not know the better, Mrs. Mansart. Be thankful that you have the means to keep the blood off your hands," he said knowingly.

Madeline felt an instant rage building within her. "Perhaps if I had been better informed we wouldn't be in the situation we find ourselves in now!" she shrieked loudly.

"If you had been 'better informed,' as you term it, then you would be facing a very unpleasant end, not unlike the Myerses," Rene said with a restrained violence in his tone.

A chill of horror shot through Madeline as she sank into her chair. "So you have taken care of all the loose ends, then?" she asked, examining her manicured nails in an attempt to appear unaffected by his ominous threat.

"Let's just say that the necessary steps are being taken to ensure both your and my anonymity," he said cryptically as he stared at her downbent head.

"I will leave it in your good hands then, but I want the end result we discussed to come to fruition in the very near future," she demanded as she pinned him with an authoritative stare.

"To make a move now would prove foolish," he said as he put his arms behind his head and leaned back. "Now we must bide our time and wait."

"When?" Madeline cried out in frustration. "When will my son finally be free? He refused to divorce her even though she betrayed him with another man," she said, an annoyed look on her expertly made-up face.

"But she did not betray him; if you recall, we only made it appear that way," Rene said with an amused smile on his face. Madeline bristled at his reminder that her hated daughter-in-law was not the villain she would like to make her out to be.

"But Erik believes that she did, and still he refused to divorce her," she said, a look of hatred in her eyes. "She must be eliminated permanently from his life if Angelique is to ever take her rightful place."

"In time, Mrs. Mansart, all in good time," Rene stated in a matter-of-fact tone that seemed to settle his overwrought client.

Madeline nodded in acceptance as she reached into her purse and pulled out a large bundle of money. Tossing it onto his desk, she refastened her purse and turned towards the door. "See that it is not too long in coming, Rene," she said coolly as she pierced him with one last heated glance.

Rene smiled to himself as he picked up the money his wealthy client had left him, when his cell phone rang. "Javert," he announced, activating the phone.

"It's done, boss," Carlos, one of his top men, said through the black ski mask that covered his face.

"Any problems?" Rene asked, idly thumbing through the large bundle of bills.

Carlos admired his handiwork as he studied the now dead bodies of the Myerses in the small deserted house. "No, murder-suicide, just like you ordered," he said dispassionately.

"Good work," Rene responded with a satisfied smile. "Report to Liam in Antalya, Turkey."

"Turkey?" Carlos exclaimed, surprised that he was being sent away when so much unfinished business awaited his attention. "But don't you want me to continue with the surveillance of the Mansarts?"

"That is precisely what I want you to do. Erik Mansart is a clever devil; he had a decoy of himself and his wife lead the press to their home in the Hamptons. So while everyone is thinking that they have gone into seclusion at their upstate estate, the Mansarts are on their way to a private home on the coast of Antalya," Rene informed him.

"Ah, well then, I had best pack my sunscreen and be on my way," Carlos said as he pictured the sunny coastline. "Any further orders?"

"Just observe for now. I don't want to make a move as of yet. I'm sure once Mansart hears that the Myerses are no longer a threat that he will ease up on his security, and then we will make our move," Rene said with a menacing smile upon his darkly tanned face.

* * *

Erik watched Christine as she stared out the window of his private jet. He was still blaming himself for his failure to predict her reaction to the van. Of course she would be fearful of something that had brought about such a horrible experience for her. Once he had her safely in Antalya, he would consult the loathsome Dr. Baird for further guidance on how to help Christine. He wished he could have convinced Christine to see him after her reaction in the hospital garage, but she had insisted that she just wanted to be on their way. Therefore, against his better judgment, he relented and arranged for a private car to take them to the airport.

Now it was eight and a half hours later and Christine still seemed to be fighting her fear even though she tried her best to hide it from him. The only bright spot in the situation was that she seemed to have placed a deep abiding trust in him. She even held onto his hand throughout the long flight as though he were her one security in this world. As the plane began its descent to a place that had once brought them great happiness, Erik vowed to himself that he would fulfill that promise of security for her.

Christine, feeling a shift in the plane, opened her eyes to see the sun setting against the backdrop of a rocky coastline. "Erik, look, isn't it beautiful?" she said with a smile upon her face.

Erik was gratified to see the look of joy spread across her face. "Yes, very beautiful," he murmured gruffly, but he was gazing longingly at his beautiful wife, not the scenery.

"I feel as though I've been here before," she said in a slightly astonished tone, and glanced back at Erik.

Erik adopted a carefree look, not wanting to give anything away. "We may have been here once before," he said nonchalantly, not wanting to alert her to the importance of the place.

Frowning, Christine resumed her study of the coastline. She did recall this place, and a wonderful feeling of peace began to wash over her. She tightened her hold on Erik's hand as a serenity filled her, signaling a feeling of belonging. She felt as if she were returning to a home where she had found unrivaled happiness.

Obligatory disclaimer - I do not own any of the Characters or plotlines of Phantom of the Opera, they of course are from the genius of Leroux.

A/N Thanks for all the encouraging reviews! And a very big thank you to all of those who read my chapter on Secrets Left Untold. I had a great time writing that and hope that someone will invite me to participate in another round robin project soon. Thank you so much to Terpsichore314 for not only working with me on this project but for also helping me on the Secrets chapter, I mean it when I say that without her expertise I would simply fall flat on my face. Thanks Terpsichore! I hope you like this next chapter, please review and let me know your thoughts.

Author – KatieKay90 Beta – Terpsichore314 Title – Unforgiven 

Chapter 5 – Strangers

"I'll bet you're happy to be going home today, Mrs. Mansart," Amy the young nurse said as she packed up the last of Christine's things.

HOME! Christine's mind revolted at the word. Where was home, and, more importantly, with whom did she share that home? The stranger who claimed he was her husband and who visited her twice daily had yet to spark any recognition within her confused brain. His visits often created more questions than answers. Consciously she knew that she didn't remember him from her past, though for some strange, unknown reason, she felt as if she were connected to him. Perhaps it was the mere idea of their marriage that prompted her feelings of familiarity.

"Would you like to take the flowers?" the nurse asked, pulling Christine from her troubled thoughts.

Erik had sent her flowers every day, and when Christine looked about her room she marveled at the multitude of exquisite arrangements. "No, if you would please disperse them amongst the other patients so they can enjoy them," Christine requested softly.

"That's very kind of you," Amy said as she zipped the expensive designer luggage. "Mr. Mansart is due to arrive any moment. Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked with a smile.

"No, thank you. I want you and the entire staff to know how much I appreciated all that you have done for me," Christine said gratefully.

"It's been our pleasure," Amy said as she crossed to the door. "Good-bye, Mrs. Mansart."

"Good-bye," Christine called after the departing nurse, feeling somewhat bereft. Sinking down onto the soft leather chair, she waited; waited for her husband to arrive, and waited to once again begin to live.

* * *

Erik strode through the elevator doors with a nervous energy chasing at his heels. For the past two weeks, he had felt an utter lack of control over this untenable situation. But today all that would change; today he would take his wife away from the dictates of others, today she would once again be under his domain.

Nadir, who was talking with Dr. Baird, felt his boss's underlying tension as Erik joined them. "Erik, Dr. Baird would like a private word with you before he releases Christine."

Erik fought his urge to refuse the bothersome doctor, who had been nothing more than a thorn in his side for the past two weeks. "Very well," Erik said with a barely restrained sigh.

Dr. Baird was quite aware that the strange billionaire did not particularly take stock in the science of psychiatry, so he knew he had better tread lightly. "Mr. Mansart, as we have already discussed, Christine is very apprehensive about leaving with you today." Seeing the half-masked man begin to bristle, Dr. Baird continued hurriedly, "That said, I just want to explain again how detrimental it would be for her just to resume her former life without having an appropriate time period to adjust for her loss of memory."

"I am fully aware of the risks involved," Erik said with a stiff jaw. "I can assure you that no one holds Christine's well being to a higher degree than I."

"Yes, but…" Dr. Baird started, only to be stalled by Nadir who could see that Erik was barely holding on to his volatile temper.

"Dr. Baird, I believe you said you had some books you could recommend for Mr. Mansart," Nadir interrupted smoothly as he stepped in between Erik and the small doctor.

Erik took advantage of Nadir's diversionary tactic and turned and headed towards Christine's room. As he reached the door, he paused to prepare himself for the look of fear that would enter her eyes when she saw him. Taking a deep breath, he stiffened his resolve and pushed open the door.

Christine looked up with alarm as Erik entered. "Erik," she called out softly.

Unable to stop himself, he said, "You look beautiful," and walked slowly towards her.

Smiling, Christine stood as he approached. "I'm sure that's not true, but thank you."

Erik reached out and lightly caressed the side of her face where there was still a hint of a bruise that attested to the horror she had endured. "You are beautiful, Christine," he whispered, drinking in the sight of her.

Christine drew in a sharp breath at the intense look of longing in Erik's gaze. Feeling uncomfortable, she drew back from him.

Erik closed his eyes briefly to try to shut out the pain of her rejection. "If you are ready we can leave," he said, turning away from her to retrieve her bag.

Christine's heart began to beat franticly as the moment she had been dreading arrived.

Erik, seeing her apprehension, gently set down her luggage. "Christine," he called to her softly.

Christine looked up to see concern for her plainly written on his half-masked features.

"I know that you are feeling lost and unsure of what the future holds," he said, taking a step to stand in front of her. "Let's just take it one step at a time; I want you to know that I don't expect anything from you that you don't feel comfortable giving."

Christine felt some of her fear dissipate at Erik's statement. 'I'm sorry," Christine said sadly.

"You have nothing to feel sorry about," Erik declared, and decided that the conversation was too intense for Christine to handle just yet. "Tell you what, let's pretend that we are strangers who have just met for the first time," he said with an amused gleam in his eyes. Holding out his hand, he introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Erik Mansart."

Christine laughed softly at Erik's sweet gesture. Putting her small hand in his, she followed his lead. "Nice to meet you Erik. My name is Christine."

Erik, congratulating himself at putting her more at ease, motioned to the door. "Shall we get out of here, Christine?" he invited, presenting his arm to her.

Liking this side of her husband, she linked her arm through his, rewarding him with the brightest smile she had yet given him. "Lead on, kind sir."

With a slight nod of his head, Erik picked up her luggage and together they headed towards the door.

"Is everything prepared?" Erik said to Nadir urgently when he and Christine exited off the hospital's freight elevator.

"Hello, Christine," Nadir greeted Erik's wife. "Yes, I have the decoy in place, so shall we begin?" he asked his anxious boss.

Erik nodded his head as he placed a protective arm around Christine, relieved when she didn't tense at his touch, as she had so often over the last few weeks.

Nadir lifted his cell phone and instructed John to signal the decoy. "Go ahead, John."

"How long?" Erik asked as he led Christine towards a large white cargo van emblazoned with the name 'Ace Linen Service' on its side.

"About ten minutes to know if we were successful," Nadir replied, seeing with alarm the color drain from Christine's face. "Christine?" he said concernedly.

Erik looked down sharply at his wife, seeing her freeze in fear as she stared at the van. "Christine," he said softly, trying to pull her gaze from the van.

Shaking her head back and forth, Christine tried to disengage herself from Erik in a frantic attempt to back away from the van. "NO! Please let me go," she said, the terror in her voice tearing at Erik's heart.

Erik swore to himself as he realized that the van was similar to the one in which Christine had been abducted. "Nadir! Get the van the hell out of here!" he yelled at his friend.

Nadir was galvanized into action, reacting to the tenseness of the situation. "Move it, go!" he yelled at the driver who was one of John's top men.

Erik, seeing that Christine was shaking with her own private fear picked her up gently in his arms and strode back towards the elevator. Once he had her safely inside, he set her down and gathered her to his chest, all the while cursing his thoughtless stupidity. "Christine, I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair as he held her tightly against him.

Christine felt her breathing begin to return to normal as she found a calm safety in Erik's strong embrace. "Don't let go," she breathed, clinging to him as if he was the one person who could keep her from harm.

"I won't," Erik promised, feeling his eyes well with overwhelming emotion. "I won't ever let you go again," he said with the conviction of a man who would protect Christine with his very life.

* * *

"Just how do you expect me to remain calm, when my son has taken off to parts unknown with that little whore?" Madeline screamed. The seedy looking man merely watched her with a bored expression on his weathered face.

"I have everything under control. My men are well aware of your son's location," he said, leaning back in his office chair.

"Where?" Madeline's sharp tone rent the air.

With a cautionary shake of his head, Rene Javert warned her not to ask any questions. "The more you do not know the better, Mrs. Mansart. Be thankful that you have the means to keep the blood off your hands," he said knowingly.

Madeline felt an instant rage building within her. "Perhaps if I had been better informed we wouldn't be in the situation we find ourselves in now!" she shrieked loudly.

"If you had been 'better informed,' as you term it, then you would be facing a very unpleasant end, not unlike the Myerses," Rene said with a restrained violence in his tone.

A chill of horror shot through Madeline as she sank into her chair. "So you have taken care of all the loose ends, then?" she asked, examining her manicured nails in an attempt to appear unaffected by his ominous threat.

"Let's just say that the necessary steps are being taken to ensure both your and my anonymity," he said cryptically as he stared at her downbent head.

"I will leave it in your good hands then, but I want the end result we discussed to come to fruition in the very near future," she demanded as she pinned him with an authoritative stare.

"To make a move now would prove foolish," he said as he put his arms behind his head and leaned back. "Now we must bide our time and wait."

"When?" Madeline cried out in frustration. "When will my son finally be free? He refused to divorce her even though she betrayed him with another man," she said, an annoyed look on her expertly made-up face.

"But she did not betray him; if you recall, we only made it appear that way," Rene said with an amused smile on his face. Madeline bristled at his reminder that her hated daughter-in-law was not the villain she would like to make her out to be.

"But Erik believes that she did, and still he refused to divorce her," she said, a look of hatred in her eyes. "She must be eliminated permanently from his life if Angelique is to ever take her rightful place."

"In time, Mrs. Mansart, all in good time," Rene stated in a matter-of-fact tone that seemed to settle his overwrought client.

Madeline nodded in acceptance as she reached into her purse and pulled out a large bundle of money. Tossing it onto his desk, she refastened her purse and turned towards the door. "See that it is not too long in coming, Rene," she said coolly as she pierced him with one last heated glance.

Rene smiled to himself as he picked up the money his wealthy client had left him, when his cell phone rang. "Javert," he announced, activating the phone.

"It's done, boss," Carlos, one of his top men, said through the black ski mask that covered his face.

"Any problems?" Rene asked, idly thumbing through the large bundle of bills.

Carlos admired his handiwork as he studied the now dead bodies of the Myerses in the small deserted house. "No, murder-suicide, just like you ordered," he said dispassionately.

"Good work," Rene responded with a satisfied smile. "Report to Liam in Antalya, Turkey."

"Turkey?" Carlos exclaimed, surprised that he was being sent away when so much unfinished business awaited his attention. "But don't you want me to continue with the surveillance of the Mansarts?"

"That is precisely what I want you to do. Erik Mansart is a clever devil; he had a decoy of himself and his wife lead the press to their home in the Hamptons. So while everyone is thinking that they have gone into seclusion at their upstate estate, the Mansarts are on their way to a private home on the coast of Antalya," Rene informed him.

"Ah, well then, I had best pack my sunscreen and be on my way," Carlos said as he pictured the sunny coastline. "Any further orders?"

"Just observe for now. I don't want to make a move as of yet. I'm sure once Mansart hears that the Myerses are no longer a threat that he will ease up on his security, and then we will make our move," Rene said with a menacing smile upon his darkly tanned face.

* * *

Erik watched Christine as she stared out the window of his private jet. He was still blaming himself for his failure to predict her reaction to the van. Of course she would be fearful of something that had brought about such a horrible experience for her. Once he had her safely in Antalya, he would consult the loathsome Dr. Baird for further guidance on how to help Christine. He wished he could have convinced Christine to see him after her reaction in the hospital garage, but she had insisted that she just wanted to be on their way. Therefore, against his better judgment, he relented and arranged for a private car to take them to the airport.

Now it was eight and a half hours later and Christine still seemed to be fighting her fear even though she tried her best to hide it from him. The only bright spot in the situation was that she seemed to have placed a deep abiding trust in him. She even held onto his hand throughout the long flight as though he were her one security in this world. As the plane began its descent to a place that had once brought them great happiness, Erik vowed to himself that he would fulfill that promise of security for her.

Christine, feeling a shift in the plane, opened her eyes to see the sun setting against the backdrop of a rocky coastline. "Erik, look, isn't it beautiful?" she said with a smile upon her face.

Erik was gratified to see the look of joy spread across her face. "Yes, very beautiful," he murmured gruffly, but he was gazing longingly at his beautiful wife, not the scenery.

"I feel as though I've been here before," she said in a slightly astonished tone, and glanced back at Erik.

Erik adopted a carefree look, not wanting to give anything away. "We may have been here once before," he said nonchalantly, not wanting to alert her to the importance of the place.

Frowning, Christine resumed her study of the coastline. She did recall this place, and a wonderful feeling of peace began to wash over her. She tightened her hold on Erik's hand as a serenity filled her, signaling a feeling of belonging. She felt as if she were returning to a home where she had found unrivaled happiness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Obligatory disclaimer - I do not own any of the Characters or plotlines of Phantom of the Opera, they of course are from the genius of Leroux. **

**A/N Hi all, I got a couple of strange reviews inferring that chapter five was repeated, it wasn't; I think that FF has been acting up a little bit lately and possibly the link was not quite right. Anyway, chapter five revealed some very important information regarding who was behind the kidnapping attempt, so if you missed that info please go back so the rest of the story will make more sense. As always thanks so much for your reviews, even the one who compared my story to a Dallas-type soap opera, not a bad thing in my opinion. **

**Author – KatieKay90 **

**Beta – Terpsichore314 – Thanks Terpsichore! You constantly amaze me with your expertise. I am so grateful for your unparalleled support. **

**Title – Unforgiven**

**Chapter 6 – Beginning Again**

Christine closed her eyes as she breathed in the intoxicating sea air, feeling its healing powers infuse her soul.

Erik stood back in the balcony doorway, his intense longing etched on his half-masked face. _How close I came to losing her_, the reminder of his utter failure to protect her never far from his tortured thoughts. Seeing her here now, in the very spot where he had vowed to love her for the rest of his days, he felt humbled to be offered a second chance to recapture the exquisite love they had shared. "Would you like to see the rest of the house?" he asked softly, as if she would startle at his normal voice.

Turning, she offered her husband a slightly guilty smile, "Sorry, I guess the view just captured my attention," she said, walking towards him.

"No matter," Erik said gently as he led her through the elegantly designed great room to the wide staircase. "There is a married couple who will be serving us while we are here, Marta and Ahmed."

_Servants._ Christine's mind boggled at the idea. _But then again, Erik does seem to be a wealthy, powerful man,_ she thought as she ascended the stairs at his side. _There is so much I don't know about this man who is my husband. So much I don't know about myself,_ she thought with a resigned sigh.

Erik turned and looked at her sharply, concerned at her heavy sigh, "Are you feeling unwell?" he asked. He would not want her to have a relapse due to the long trip..

"No, just tired I suppose," she replied, looking about the second floor. "This is amazing."

Erik, still concerned, watched her closely. "I think that you should lie down before Marta serves dinner," he said more in the form of an order than a suggestion.

Christine relented, realizing that she was indeed feeling the effects of the trip. "All right, if you could show me to my room."

Erik paused. The house did not have two bedrooms. When he had this house built, he only anticipated that it would be a getaway home for him and Christine. Thus, he had not added an additional bedroom. "This way," he said, pointing towards the large double doors at the end of the long hallway.

Christine preceded him into the large bedroom that was decorated in a Middle Eastern style. "Oh Erik, it is so beautiful," she said, crossing the room to the large bed and reverently caressing the exotic silk bed coverings.

Erik was suffused with instant heat remembering Christine spread welcomingly across the very same silk she was now so lovingly caressing. "Yes, incredibly beautiful," he said with a gruffness that caused Christine to look up sharply.

Christine drew in a shocked breath at the look of heated desire in Erik's eyes before he quickly averted his gaze.

"The bathroom is through there," he said stiltedly as he walked back to the bedroom entrance, needing to put some distance between him and Christine. "There should be some clothing and personal items for you as well."

Christine watched him try to hide his pain. "Erik," she called out to forestall him from leaving.

Unable to look at her for fear of letting her discover how much he needed her, he merely looked down at the thick Persian carpet. "Is there something else I can get for you?"

"No, I just wanted to say thank you," she said as she watched his tense frame.

Nodding, Erik walked out of the room and quietly shut the door, feeling as though he was leaving the other half of himself behind.

* * *

Mike Crepinski took in the bloody scene before him with a warning bell ringing in his experienced investigator's mind. _Something isn't quite right here._ "John," he called to his friend and former partner.

John frowned as he approached Mike. "You feel it too, don't you?" John asked as he studied the positions of the two bodies.

Releasing a sigh, Mike leaned down to better view the gunshot wound to Lela Myers. "It looks like a textbook murder-suicide," he said as he donned a pair of latex gloves.

"Too textbook if you ask me," John offered his own opinion gravely.

Nodding his head in agreement, Mike's instincts were telling him that what they were viewing was the work of experienced professionals. Highly paid professionals, he thought with a feeling of apprehension. "Is Mansart and his wife in a safe place?" he asked with a sense of foreboding.

"Yes, but I think that I need to get over there myself," John said, feeling real danger for his boss and his wife.

"I can't offer you any backup on this, John," Mike informed his partner, since the bureau was already after him to close out this case.

"I know. Don't worry, Mike, I'll handle it from here," he said with a cold, confident commitment to the safety of his employer and his family.

Rising, Mike looked at his friend. "Watch your back. I think that this could be a very dangerous situation. I'll see if I can get a few more manhours so I can investigate this side of things a little more closely."

"Thanks Mike. I'll get some of my own men out here as well," John stated, taking in the perfectly staged crime scene again. Pulling out his cell phone, he walked out of the cabin for some much-needed privacy. "Nadir," he said into the mouthpiece as soon as his call was connected.

Nadir leaned back into his leather chair, "John, what did you find out?" he asked anxiously, needing as many facts as possible for his coming update with Erik.

"Both Carl and Lela Myers are dead, murder-suicide," John informed Nadir uneasily.

"Why do I get the impression that you are about to give me some bad news?" Nadir sighed wearily.

Releasing his own sigh, John began to walk briskly on the snowy Montana ground. "It's just a gut feeling that both Mike and I have about the crime scene."

"And what is this 'gut feeling' telling you?" Nadir asked, the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to rise.

"The setup was just too perfect," John said as he watched the sun begin to set against the mountainous backdrop. "It looks as though someone wanted us to believe that Carl killed his wife and then turned the gun on himself."

"But you think otherwise?" Nadir prompted Erik's chief of security.

Rubbing his jawline tiredly, John began to wonder what Christine could have ever done to warrant this type of deadly attention. "I think that someone wants Mrs. Mansart dead. I also think that the kidnapping was just a setup to make us think that the Myerses were acting alone. I don't think that money was the real motive behind any of this."

"What are you saying John!" Nadir all but yelled into the phone.

Shaking his head dejectedly, John tried to find words to convey the danger that the Mansarts were facing. "I'm saying that this is far from over. I'm saying that someone with deep pockets and connections has hired professionals to eliminate Mrs. Mansart," John said plainly, not sugarcoating his conclusions. "What I am saying, Nadir, is that Mrs. Mansart is still very much a target."

Nadir closed his eyes as he digested John's ominous news. "What do you need?" he asked firmly after he took a short moment to collect himself.

"I'll need to hire about fifteen more men. I want to get over to Antalya as soon as possible. Make sure that Rob is en route as well," John instructed, wanting his best man available on site.

"Anything else?" Nadir questioned as he jotted down several notes.

"I'll take care of everything else," John said evasively, not wanting to further alarm Nadir with the amount of firepower he intended to acquire.

"All right, I had better get on a plane myself," he said, thinking aloud.

"No, I think that it would be better if you stayed in Manhattan to maintain a sense of normalcy," John shot back over the line.

"But surely Erik will need me with him," Nadir began, but John interrupted him.

"Listen to me, Nadir. We are dealing with trained professionals who more than likely are watching your every move. To go to Antalya now would only lead them to Mrs. Mansart."

A chill raced through Nadir as he came to grips with the true extent of the danger they were facing. "Are you sure that you can protect Erik and Christine?" he asked, overcome by overwhelming fear.

"Yes, Nadir, I will not let anything happen to either of them," John assured him with a steely confidence that surpassed all of Nadir's expectations.

"All right, I'll let Erik know that your on your way," Nadir said resignedly, knowing that it might as well be him to make this particular call.

"Nadir!" John said sharply to catch Nadir before he hung up.

"Yes?"

"Who knows that the Mansarts are in Antalya?" he asked, needing as much information as possible to assess the threat level.

"Myself and you of course. My assistant and Renee, Erik's assistant. Oh," Nadir said as if in afterthought, "Erik's pilot and his crew."

"Give Rob the full names of those crew members," John instructed. He would personally check out each and every one of those names for any hint of suspicious behavior.

"Consider it done. Anything else I can do from my end?"

"Just keep your eyes and ears open; let me know if anyone is acting strangely," John said as he retraced his steps towards the cabin. "Oh and Nadir," he began as he watched the bodies of the Myerses being loaded into long black bags. "Trust no one, not even Sarah."

Nadir frowned at the implication that his long-time faithful assistant could not be trusted. "John…" Nadir began in a slightly rebuking tone.

"No one, Nadir," John's firm voice interrupted Nadir. "One slip up could literally mean the difference between life and death."

Leaning back, Nadir resigned himself to the fact that John was the expert and that he would simply have to defer to his expertise. "All right, John."

"Good. I'll be in touch," John said ending the call as he joined Mike.

"You got a handle on this John?" Mike asked his former associate with a knowing look.

Nodding his head confidently, John returned Mike's look with a fierce look in his dark eyes. "Oh yeah, I've got it," his voice filled with uncompromising determination. No one was going to dare threaten someone on his watch.

* * *

Erik knocked lightly upon Christine's door. "Christine," he called out softly, careful not to alarm her in her fragile state. Not hearing her answer, he turned the knob and opened the door to peer into the darkened room. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that she was still lying on the bed, her wavy chestnut hair adorning the vibrant pink silk pillowcase with her exquisite face relaxed in peaceful sleep. His breath caught in his throat at the sheer beauty of her, his Christine, his wife. Crossing the room, he sank to his knees beside her. Lifting a shaking hand, he reached out and took one of her wayward tresses into his hand, savoring the softness that he remembered so achingly. Bending down to inhale the intoxicating fragrance that was hers alone he brought her hair to his lips in a kiss of longing. _Oh Christine,_ his heart cried out in pain_, please learn to love me again. _

Christine felt the strangest sensation of someone watching her. Opening her eyes, she saw that Erik was kissing her hair with such a pained expression that her heart gave a lurch of answering pain. Reaching up, she caressed the unmasked side of his face, causing him to stiffen in surprise.

Turning his face into her hand he kissed her palm, savoring her acceptance if only for this one brief moment in time.

"Erik," Christine whispered with a slightly bemused expression. "I…" her voice trailed off as she met his passion-filled gaze.

Erik, seeing the confusion on her face, cursed himself for his uncontrollable need for her touch. "Forgive me," he said softly, releasing her to rise to his feet.

Christine stared up at him, feeling a disappointment that she couldn't quite explain. Sitting up on the bed, she looked at his closed expression, wondering what he was thinking as he avoided her gaze. Standing, she reached out and grasped his hand. "Erik," she called to him gently.

Erik drew in a sharp breath at her unexpected touch. Looking down, he was stunned to see that she didn't seem to fear him. "Christine," he whispered brokenly.

Lifting her hand, she gently touched her fingers to his perfect lips to quiet his words. Stepping up towards him, she replaced her fingertips with her lips, slowly offering him a sweet, gentle kiss.

Erik felt his heart stop at her kiss. Gently pulling her into his embrace, he returned her kiss with a tenderness that reached down and touched her very soul.

Giving herself up to Erik's kiss, she felt as if she was with the one person whom she could trust. She felt safe; she felt loved.

Erik lifted his head and stared down at her with his eyes holding all of his emotions. "Christine," he said simply, the single word being all he needed.

Christine leaned her head upon his strong chest, enjoying the new closeness with this man who was her husband.

How long he held her there to him he did not know, but he did know that with her one simple kiss, she had opened the door to the possibility of their future. Feeling as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he held her back so he could look down at her beautiful face. "Marta has dinner ready," he said in a light voice that brought an instant smile to her lips.

"Well then, I suppose we shouldn't keep her waiting," Christine said, her smile broadening. Together they exited the room, and made their way towards the staircase arm in arm, at last together.


End file.
